The Prissy Mommy Chronicles

Welcome family and friends!

We're so happy that you've stopped by to take part in our first baby experience.  On this site you'll find pictures, videos, and news about Chase's milestones.  This is our family's personal space on the web and our special effort to include extended family and friends in our lives during this very exciting and busy time.

We warmly welcome your comments, thoughts, advice, and dedications.  Thank you for visiting our baby site and please check back periodically for updates!

♥ Yakini, Derek, & Baby Chase

Bibi's Banana Nut Bread

Today's guest recipe is once again compliments of... ma mere!  My mom's banana nut bread was highly coveted in our household - it was a family favorite growing up.  We were always begging her to make this yummy treat... and when she decided to indulge us, it was a "big deal." *smile* I love a slice served warm or even cool from the fridge, and spread with just a thin layer of margarine. And a glass of milk, of course!

My mother is a native of Orangeburg, South Carolina and a professor/scholar of African-American history.  Her first book, "Parlor Ladies and Ebony Drudges," is a comparative history of black women's work and lives in Orangeburg, South Carolina between 1880 and 1940.  Her current project is tentatively entitled "Takin' Company: History of Love, Courtship, and Sex of a Southern African American Female in the Early Twentieth Century."  She has four lovely daughters and currently resides in Maryland with her husband and their maltese, Banjee, and poodle, Senji.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar 

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 cups flour

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 soft, ripe bananas, mashed

Preparation:

Cream sugar and shortening; add eggs, flour, soda, bananas, and chopped nuts. Pour banana bread batter into 1 greased and floured loaf pan.  Bake at 325° for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

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On the Road Again...

...but this time headed to the The Tar Heel State!  We're visiting friends Will and Kendra, along with their two darling boys, in Wake Forest, NC.  Our flight leaves tomorrow at 7:00 pm!

I've always loved North Carolina.  My family and I lived in Charlotte for a spell... and it'll always be my favorite place ever.  We lived in a small, close-knit community where my sister and I biked outside most days, had a makeshift little "club house" that was a paved hideaway just adjacent to the house, had slumber parties on weekends with our friends down the road, and could hear our dad calling our names, from just about anywhere in the neighborhood, when dusk fell.  We spent some real formative years there.  Good times!  I'd love to move back one day, over the rainbow.  I think it'd be a lovely place to raise Chase and his (future) siblings.

Have you ever noticed that life just seems to slow down the farther south you go? I hear folks talk about "that warm southern hospitality." It really does exist, you know. If you've never had the opportunity to experience it you've missed out on one of life's real pleasures.  However, for some unknown reason, I just never seem to be able to duplicate that exact same atmosphere of southern hospitality here in the city. I try and try, always offering warmth and gentility in my home, but it's just not the same. I'm the same person here that I was there, but the pace is so much faster here.  Have you ever tried to really relax, and enjoy the company and conversation, when folks have to rush somewhere? It just can't be done. I miss the fellow-shipping with like souls.  In a way, this blog is my attempt to capture some of that down home charm for my readers who appreciate manners, politeness, making others feel welcome, serving home cooked food in a gracious atmosphere, laughter, and the ability to relax and really enjoy the day.  

Derek and I have been out there to visit the Monden family on several occasions and, with each visit stayed, at the Umstead Hotel and Spa.  Oh, it's the ultimate indulgence! It's the first (and only) Five Diamond resort I've ever stayed at and I swear each time we've gone they treated us like hand-spun silk!  Seriously... from the moment we roll into that driveway and relinquish our luggage to the eager, beaming bellman, I feel like Shug Avery a'coming to town!  And although Will and Kendra have always graciously opened their home to us, we preferred to stay at the resort for that extra little bit of pampering and frou frou.  You know what I mean?

Well, this is the first time we're going as a family... and also the first time we'll be taking the Mondens up on their offer to stay with them.  We've talked and come to the realization that... the Umstead (and Umstead prices!) are absolutely no place to bring a 6-month old.  And that's perfectly okay.  I'm excited about this trip for a different reason now... the boys will get to play together, and we'll enjoy some adult time once they're asleep--just talking and drinking and laughing and kickin it!  I haven't done that in a while, and definitely miss it!  Let's see... so last time we saw them was Easter and Chase was around 3 months... so he wasn't as "into" the boys as he will surely be now.  It's so crazy, but once they hit that 6-month mark it's like they become these independent little people... sitting up, with a sense of humor, being silly, trying to hold their own bottle and putting their pacifier in, super curious and interested in everything around them, and just babbling up a storm (stringing together consonants that are almost recognizable).  Chase tends to enjoy other small children, so I'm looking forward to him interacting with the boys a bit more, and I'll be taking pics and videos galore!

Oh, and on the subject of videos... I finally had a chance to upload some of the Disney videos.  Please visit my channel on YouTube when you get a chance!  Some of the footage is hilarious, while the rest just plain cute. *smile*  I tried to upload the videos in order, so you could get a feel of the sequence of the trip and how events played out!  Start with the Just Arriving in Disney With Chase, and just enjoy from there! 

Finally, while I'm away, do check out my feature at The Young Mommy Life.  Created in 2008 to address the serious lack of attention paid to 20-something moms in mainstream media, this awesome blogging young mama of two takes on everything from finding a family-friendly workplaces to the fine art of keeping house.  I love her blog for its candor and down-to-earth vibe, and I have a feeling you will too!

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6 Month Check-up and Re-evaluating Our Baby Doctor

So Chase had his 6-month check-up today.  We're about eight days late, but we were of course out of town last weekend, so no real issue.  The great thing is that his doctor's office is a few blocks away from us--a nice stroller ride on a warm day, but usually we just drive over.  Anyway, he sees two doctors in private practice - two older pediatricians (early 60s) who work together and often see the children interchangeably.  They're partners, if you will.  Ideally, it works out well, because if one doctor is unavailable, the other doctor knows your child equally well and can see him or her instead. 

Well naturally, I have my favorite of the two.  One guy is Jewish, the other is a Haitian gentleman.  But that's neither here nor there.  My favorite doctor is the one who I initially met in the hospital after I gave birth to Chase, as he came to check on Chase each morning since his birth.  To me, he is a lot warmer, more personable, funny, sweet, and also gives Chase a sticker (or "medal," as he calls it) with each visit (especially after a shot).  The other doctor is colder, more formal, has a sarcastic sense of humor that I don't appreciate, and comes off way more condescending in general.  Definitely a no-nonsense type of guy but, to me, that doesn't really work for a pediatrician.  Now, maybe if he were the doctor performing my heart transplant or brain surgery, I might forgive his clinical coldness and brusque tone.  But come on, dude.  You work among babies and tots!  Smile a little.... and let the smile reach your eyes.

*sigh* Anyway, so when we got to the office this morning, I was dismayed to see that my "preferred" doctor was out.  We hadn't seen his partner (remember, office partner, not "life partner"... hey, gotta clarify these days) since Chase was two weeks old.  After our third visit with said doctor, I told Derek I wanted to start scheduling Chase's appointments solely with my favorite doc, and he readily agreed.  So for the last six months Chase has seen the sweet, warm doctor exclusively.  So I was stunned to walk in and see the other guy.  I'm assuming our doctor was sick. 

Anyway, so he came in to the examination room and greeted me.  It may have been my paranoia (as I told Derek later), but I definitely felt he was icy and short with me, even more so than usual.  In my fantasy, he is offended that we chose the other doctor over him.  But whatever.  So he proceeds to give Chase a quick and non-thorough once over.  *smh* He got three vaccinations today, and the doctor was quick and rough.  No sticker, no "Good job, champ!," no nothing.  Totally dismissive of his cries of pain, and discouraged us from comforting him until after the third shot.  Everything was fine, health wise.  Chase is developmentally where he should be, in the 75th percentile in terms of his height, and in the 90th percentile as far as weight (Oops! We better get you moving in that jumper, babe! lol)

We went in his office following the examination to ask questions.  I had only a couple, the primary one being whether or not we should cease night-time feedings.  At this point Chase gets up 1-2 times per night.  He goes to bed for the night at 6:30 pm, so his last feeding is at that time.  Then he wakes up to eat around midnight or 1 am... and occasionally he will wake up again for a 3:30-4 am feeding.  Then we get him up at 6:30 am for school and he eats then.  But BabyCenter.com (which I usually swear by) had said that we now need to let Chase start crying it out--that he should be able to sustain until the morning!  So I posed this question to the doctor and he brusquely replied that Chase should be sleeping through the night, and these late night feedings need to stop! He said that Chase is now old enough to go 12 hours, at night, without eating.  He went on to explain that we need to be consistent once we do end the feedings (which I agree with), meaning, we can't be hardcore parents and let him cry it out Monday through Wednesday, but become softies on Thursday and feed him then.  It'll confuse him terribly.  So once we make this decision, we must stick with it.  The doctor stated that, by two weeks, Chase would be sleeping peacefully through the night.

I then asked, somewhat tentatively (because honestly, this dude reduces me to a ball of nerves, which I hate!), if I should "wean" him off these night feedings rather than doing it cold turkey. Like, since he sometimes wakes up twice, should I go a week with just feeding him once... then by week 2 or 3 cut off the night feedings completely?  It seems this would be less traumatic for him and, quite frankly, minimizing his distress is MY goal.  Even more ideal, by 7 months or so Chase may be sleeping straight through the night on his own, with no intervention needed by us at all.  He got to the 1-2 per night feedings on his own, after all, when as a newborn he woke up every 1.5 hours.   

The doctor snapped that we need to stop the night feedings pronto, and basically said that's why Chase is a fat boy now and in the 90th percentile weight-wise. *wince* I'm paraphrasing his tongue lashing, of course, but that was the gist of it.  He said that if we don't put an end to this now, then Chase will be waking up demanding meals during the night at five years old.  He then proceeded to give us some other crappy advice, like how Chase doesn't need to begin baby food until he is 1 years old (well guess what buddy, you're about 1.5 months too late!), and to get Chase a playpen and he needs to spend his play time in there with his toys.  He kept repeating, "The crib is not a place to play during the day, he needs to associate it with sleeping only."  Okay, I agree with that... but who said we place Chase in the crib to play during the day?  Because we surely don't!  And ummmm, a playpen?  Really?!! As if!  Chasey-bear is a free spirit, and he enjoys his jumper, his swing, and lolling around on his activity mat throughout the day. We are not putting that boy in no archaic, cage-like  playpen. *sigh*  He then went on to stress that we be mindful of accidents, and consider baby-proofing the house in the upcoming months, since Chase will be mobile soon. 

Anyway, so after thanking the doctor for his time, we headed to the receptionist where we made sure to book Chase's 9 month appointment with the other doctor.... and this time I'm going to call ahead to make sure he is in!  It's not that this doc isn't a smart or knowledgable man.  They are both very experienced doctors with lots of degrees and certifications to show for it. *shrug* But it's more than that, you know?  I don't seem to see eye to eye with this doctor... our philosophies are different.  Also, I want to be treated with respect, I want to be spoken to like you've got some sense, and I want you to be playful and warm toward my baby and give him stickers, and not treat us like we're encouraging a lifestyle of baby morbid obesity.  A kind word, a smile, and a twinkling eye goes a looong way with me... and I'd rather give my business to the doctor who makes that extra effort to make us feel comfortable.

Soooo stay tuned for the post about weaning Chase off his night time feedings. *sigh* We decided we're going to start in two weeks (since we're going out of town next weekend, and we don't want to do anything to upset or disrupt his sense of normalcy while in a new place). And yes, I am doing it MY way--decreasing the feedings to one time nightly, and then cutting them out altogether.  I'll let you know how it goes!

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Oh So Chic! Boutique & Suave Skin Care Giveaway Winners

Hi folks! 

So I've been a tad under the weather over these last few days, but I've pretty much been relaxing, drinking tea, and generally being unproductive while I garner my strength back.  Hehe! I think I can safely write this weekend off as lost, as far as the two blog posts I'd planned to finish.  But such is life! *smile*

So guess what time it is?  Well, yes. It’s Saturday night which is always AWESOME.  But even more awesome is that it's finally time to announce the winners of the Oh So Chic! Boutique gift certificate and Suave® Skin Care giveaways!  So many enthusiastic responses, I wish I could pick more than two winners!

Well without further ado.... per random.org, the two winning ladies are:

Oh So Chic! Boutique giveaway winner:Spoodles

Suave® Skin Care giveaway winner: Janet F.

Ladies, shoot me an email with your mailing addys so I can send you your prizes!  Merci beaucoup!

Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to enter these giveaways!  I feel incredibly honored to have partnered up with Oh So Chic! Boutique as well as with Suave®!

Be sure to check back soon for my next giveaway!!!!

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Homemade Cornbread

Today's featured recipe is courtesy of my girlfriend, Dlewis, who I initially met on the hair boards!  Through our shared love of black hair care, we quickly discovered many other things we have in common - including our passion for good, southern home cooking!

Dlewis is one of the sweetest, warmest people I've ever encountered and truly epitomizes the appellation "domestic diva."  Want awesome tips on learning to cook, sew, garden, decorate, clean, camp out, craft, and entertain with panache?  Visit The Country Life of Dlewis, her fabulous blog about detailed homemaking and gracious living!  In her own words: 

"I'm a wife and mother who enjoys cooking, camping, reading and spending time with my family.  I grew up on Jiffy cornbread and I loved it.  However, when I married my husband he wasn't really into Jiffy. He came from a family of great cooks and preferred homemade cornbread.  After trying many, many recipes for cornbread I found this one and we all love it!  I promise once you try this recipe you'll leave Jiffy at the store!"

Ingredients:

• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3-1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup oil

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients and mix until well blended. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  *Depending on what I'm cooking I will often add more sugar because I love sweet cornbread.*

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Our First Family Vacation

So our mini-vacay in Orlando was a BLAST!!!!  We had sooo much fun! I already can't wait to go back!!!!  We loved the resort we stayed at... Chase did (relatively) well on the plane... and he managed well to be away from the comforts/familiarity of "home."  It was a really nice time!

Disney World was definitely the highlight of the trip.  Oh, don't get me wrong, the wedding was just lovely (and, of course, I cried).... but nothing can top Chase's excitement and delight at Magic Kingdom.  Oh, he just thought it was the bee's knees!  We had a good time!  We were at the park for 6 hours (lol!!!) and did everything we set out to do, from riding "It's A Small World" and taking pictures at Minnie Mouse's cottage (my special request) to seeing a show and watching the Parade of Dreams!  It was a fun and really magical experience for all three of us!  Our next trip will likely be when Chase is two years old, with our friends Will and Kendra, who make an annual trip in December with their two boys.  We figured this December is too soon for Chase to go again, being that it's only 6 months away.  And besides, by the time he's two he'll be able fall in love with Disney World in a new way.  On this trip, he was enthralled with all the bright colors, the music, the children and smiling faces, and being somewhere new.  On the next trip he'll be able to go on more rides and will actually retain some of it in his memory (maybe, lol). 

Anyway, so as I told you it would be, my first stop...... pick up some ears for me and Chase, so we could do Disney World RIGHT!!!!

I tried my hardest to convince Derek to don some ears too, but he was "too cool" for all that.  Oh well, your loss, homey! Hehe!!!  So in addition to our ears, I also got a few little Minnie Mouse things for my kitchen, to go with my Minnie Mouse apron and measuring spoons.  Mind you, red and white polka dots don't quite go with my pink Cook for the Cure theme but, hey, cute is cute, right? What can you do?

So after we bought Chase's Mickey Mouse ears we went and got them embroidered with his name!  Now he has his very own, personalized souvenir from his first Disney World Trip!!!

Chase and Mommy stylin' and profilin' in the park with our Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears!  Are we cute or what!!?? 

Those are the new swimming trunks I bought Chase.  Oh yeah, on this trip I also learned that swim diapers are NOT meant to be worn for "heavy duty" business, or for an extended period, like a regular diaper. YIKES!!! (Good thing I always carry a change of clothes in his diaper bag.  *smh* I won't tell that story).

Then, of course, I had to visit my girl Minnie's cottage!!!!

So cute!!!!

Me posing in Minnie's parlor!

Minnie's kitchen is cuter than mine!!! No fair!!! LOL

Daddy and Chase, super cool in their shades!!!  My two handsome men!

Omg, I kid you not, it was like 100 degrees out there... or hotter!  Chase did remarkably well in that heat.  We frequently made trips inside shops and restaurants so he could cool off, and also made sure to keep him lathered up with sunblock and hydrated.  So I think he was okay.  I wanted to end the day with a dip in the pool, but I was just too beat (and I'm sure he was too).  Chase was fantastic, especially considering he didn't get a good nap in!  Usually when he skips his nap, he starts rubbing his eyes and yawning.... and then the meltdown happens!  He took tiny little catnaps here and there, and maybe that rejuvenated him.  He also was great, with regards to the crowd... I mean, Disney World on the Fourth of July is intense. But he seemed to enjoy people-watching and was full of smiles and giggles throughout most of the day!  He only got upset once, during a performance on stage where there was a wicked witch.  She was green-faced and of course made-up to look very unattractive, and spoke in a loud, harsh, witchy-voice.  Of course, he couldn't understand the plot and hasn't actually "learned" to fear witches, but he does recognize emotions/feelings, and he could tell that the witch was angry/unhappy.  He was scared and started to get upset, so I quickly turned him away until the dancing and singing started up again.  However, all in all, the trip was really fun for him and he was relaxed, wide-eyed, and happily taking it all in.

So we have more pics and also tons of video footage, and I'll be uploading videos to my YouTube channel over the next couple of days.  I just got home yesterday.... and I've got to unpack (because if I don't do it today, that suitcase will sit here for another 5 months).  Aaaah, I feel so drained but happy!!!!  I'm also super tanned! 

Of course, the original reason for visiting Florida was to attend Nichole's Fairy Tale Disney wedding!!! It was beautiful and magical..... definitely a girl's dream come true!

These are my girlfriends Neeki and Stephanie, following the wedding rehearsal (which, sadly, I missed.... who knew it would take over an hour to commute from one resort to the other!!!)  *The buckle you can see through my shirt is from my swimsuit, if anyone cares.*  I don't know why I felt compelled to tell you all that (lol).

Oooooooo-oop Soror Steph!!!!

This was actually Stephanie and Neeki's very first time meeting Chase, since Neeki moved to London and Stephanie moved to Rochester.  He liked them a lot.  Oh yes, Chase already loves the pretty ladies. *smile* Oh, don't be fooled by his expression.... that's just his "I'm hot mommy, where in the sam ham are my shades?" expression.

Here I am, in the bridal boudoir getting pretty!  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to join the rest of the girls earlier in the day to get pampered and have my face done by the MAC artists Nichole had hired.  So I had to do my own.  How did I do?

Nichole was gracious enough to let us pick out our own Jim Hjelm gown, so long as the color was black!  *Wedding colors = black and pink*  I went with the strapless trumpet gown, with the lace over the satin bodice, because lace is my favorite fabric ever!!!! Dern, I really wish I had a full length picture of this dress.... the train is gorge!!!

The bridesmaids!!!!  From the left: Kim (Nichole's sister & matron of honor, she's a journalist), Yours Truly (bridesmaid), Stephanie (bridesmaid and also a psychologist like me and Nichole), and Melanie (Nichole's sister and maid of honor, she's a lawyer). Love these pretty ladies!!!!

Me with the beautiful, blushing bride. Nichole was the coolest, calmest, and most collected bride I've EVER met. :-)  Our bridesmaid's gift.... a stunning diamond pendant necklace!!!! Thank you so much, Nichole!!!! (((hugs))) I'm so happy you found your Prince Charming - no one deserves that more than you!!!!

Gorgeousness!!!!!!

The happy couple after the ceremony!!!!  Nichole was the most radiant bride ever, and Carlos so handsome and debonair in his off-white tux!!!! They make a beautiful, beautiful couple.

Their horse and carriage awaits!!!!

One final kiss for the guests before being whisked away for a happily ever after ending!!!!!  Oooh, just wait til you see all our videos!!!

CLICK HERE to see all of the pictures from the trip.  

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♥ Happy 6-Months Birthday to Chase! ♥

Chase at 11 Days Old



Chase at 5 Months & 3 Weeks

Omg, our baby turned half a year three days ago (7/3/09).  *sniff, sniff* Where did the time go?!!!!  I can't believe I've been a mom for 6 months now!  It feels like..... hmmmmmmm.... I actually don't know.  On the one hand, it feels like LONGER (like, I've been doing this for longer than 6 months... can't imagine life in our household without Chase here) but on the other hand, the time has totally flown by, and I can't believe it's been half a year, lol.  I know that doesn't make any sense but, I hope you get what I'm saying!  *sigh* I just love my boy so much.  Every single day he does something new, astonishing, or just plain CUTE that tickles us and provides fodder for hours of conversation and analysis (lmao, hey, we're a psychologist, a lawyer, AND new parents to boot, what do you expect?!!).

Me and Derek were just chuckling the other day about how folks in our lives (co-workers, associates, and such) are probably getting sick of our little Chase stories.... I'm sure they're like, so over it already--smiling politely when we share yet another Chase moment (ie, real example of Derek speaking to co-worker: "So yesterday, when I picked him up from his crib in the morning, he smiled at me so... angelicly.  He just has the sweetest, most guileless smile!" *blank stare from co-worker*)  Perhaps I'm just being sensitive, but I remember what it was like for me before I became a mom... listening to other (non-relatives/non-friends) share little anecdotes about their children.  I mean, it would be cute/amusing for a brief period, but after a bit it's like, ummm, thanks for sharing, uhh, talk to you later, I guess. *fake smile*  I feel bad even saying that, but I was just so far removed from the whole experience of parenthood.... that I couldn't fully appreciate such joyous little stories then!  Now I can't hear enough, and I actually seek out other moms just to "talk baby," lol.  But in the same token, I now fear boring or annoying others with my endless tales, lol, so I definitely curtail my Chase stories outside of family/friends. *shrug* Again, could be my own paranoid.  In any event, that's why I blog here.... because I can talk about Chase til I'm just blue in my little face. *smile*

But I digress!  So yes, we celebrated Chase's 6 months birthday in Disney World (vacay post pending!) and I'm trying to decide now if I want to have professional pictures taken to commemorate his 6 months birthday, or just keep snapping away with my digi camera as I've been doing.  Heck, we paid good money for that shoot at Kiddie Kandids, and I was way disappointed with how his pictures came out.  I do a much better job at home.  I'm not sure, I'll figure it out within the next few days...

Anyway, happy birthday to you, my pookie-bear!!!! I love you so much, today and always! Right now you're sound asleep in bed, but I can't wait for you to get up in the morning so I can hug you and kiss you and play with you!  My sweet potato!!! My pumpkin pie! My pookie-bear!!! Mommy loves you!!!! Daddy loves you!!! My life has changed, for the better, since you entered into it. You complete us, sweetie, you really do! 

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Happy Fourth of July!

I'm heading to the salon to get my hair washed, then back home to last-minute pack and prepare for our trip.  Chase is home with Daddy (hopefully napping!!!) and awaiting my return.  A little bit of drama with securing our transportation to EWR, but we'll figure it out.  Our flight to Orlando leaves at 6:25 pm.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun-filled Fourth of July weekend!  Be sure to check out my two current giveaways, and I'll see ya on Tuesday!  Disney World, here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Friday Featured Blog at Katydid and Kid

Happy Friday everyone! 

I'm sooo excited to be featured TODAY at Katydid and Kid, a really neat blog by a lovely lady after my own heart.  Kathleen is awesome not only because she is a wife and mom to an adorablelittle boy, but she also manages to write a wildly successful blog, knits, felts, dyes silk, and continuously discovers new and creative ways to combine parenting along with living a green, eco-friendly life!  During her spare time she can be found outside in her garden or teaching an arts and crafts class! How the heck do you do it all, Supermommy!?  *smile*

I love Katy's blog, firstly, because I can so relateto her anecdotes about her baby boy, secondly, because she has the greatest giveaways (hehe!), and lastly I've met such great women through her Friday Featured blogs.  So I'm really honored to be the "chosen one" today!

While you're over there, be sure to vote for Katydid and Kid for the Cleanest Blog Award! Contest ends July 6th, and you can vote once everyday!

Thanks so much for the feature, Katy, and blog on girl! 

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Vodka Sauce

Today's guest recipe is from my good girlfriend and Zeta Sands, Tati.  Let me tell ya'all something--this girl can burn!  When I'm dinner party-planning or simply in the kitchen whipping up supper, and I have a question (simple or complex), I just call her up real quick!  From achieving the perfect gravy to the most tender, flavorful roast, my girl has the answers.  I was so excited when she volunteered to kick off my recipe exchange this week with a homemade recipe straight from her kitchen.  Thanks lady!

"My name is Tatianna Mathews. I'm a native of Atlanta, Georgia and a true southern belle.  Professionally, I am an academic advisor at a large technical university in Atlanta and pursuing (hopefully) a Ph.D in English and African-American literature.

Like any good Southern girl, I know how to cook and was in the kitchen at an early age. I was raised in a family of great cooks, so cooking comes quite naturally to me!   I love trying new recipes and creating my own.   I love to collect cookbooks. In addition to cooking and recipes, I love makeup, shoes, painting, and natural hair-care. You can view my photo journal here.

This recipe is super simple, and was created sort of as an experiment. It was what I deemed the "perfect date dish" when I wanted to impress a potential suitor with my cooking skills! Trust me, serve this along with a fresh garden salad and some bread sticks, and you are guaranteed to snatch that fella right up! *wink* I combined fresh ingredients with store-bought ones to save time, money and energy. This is perfect for anyone with a hectic schedule, especially working moms (and dads)."

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tiny bottles of vodka (You know..the airline-size!)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (italian seasoned are good-I recommend Hunts)
• 1 jar of Vegetable Primavera sauce (I like Ragu Super Primavera)
• 1 bag of frozen zucchini/squash blend (Bird's Eye makes a great blend!)
• 1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream or heavy cream
• italian seasoning (basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, parsley, a little sage) (2-4 tbs)
• cayenne pepper (to taste)
• black pepper (to taste)
• 2-3 tbs olive oil
• 3 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup of (fresh) white or baby portabello mushrooms, sliced
• (optional) 1 lb ground sweet italian sausage (out of casing) If you do not like pork, a turkey italian sausage is ok!
• or  1 lb or less of shrimp

Preparation:
 

1) brown sausage, drain fat, set aside (or cook shrimp in a little oil, set aside)

2) in same large pot/saucepan, add olive oil. sautee mushrooms and garlic and tomatoes (drain liquid from can) and frozen squash/zucchini blend until somewhat golden

3) add cream and let boil

4) add all other ingredients (including vodka) and let simmer

5) add choice of meat (sausage or shrimp....simmer about 5 minutes more

 

Serve over angel haired pasta, thin spaghetti, or linguine.  (Cook to box specifications--make sure you add some salt  (1-2 tbs of kosher or sea salt) to the water when boiling!!!)

 

This sauce is also excellent as base to use with a baked Ziti!

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